Fading out and fitting in

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Albert Haynesworth, all 350 pounds of him, got shoved back 3 yards as the runner charged through the huge hole for a touchdown.

Less than a minute later in Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the New York Giants, Chad Ochocinco beat his defender on a deep route into the end zone but Tom Brady’s pass fell short.

Additional Photos

Chad Ochocinco has fit in with the New England Patriots, scaling back on his social media activity and discussions with the media. And as he continues to learn the intricate offense, he may become more of a focal point at doing what he does best catching passes. The Associated Press

Tom Brady, left, and Chad Ochocinco still have to learn to connect as well on the field as they have during practice time with the Patriots. The Associated Press

Chad Ochocinco had no receptions Sunday for the third straight game – but at least he had five passes thrown his way as the Patriots try to make him more a part of the offense. The Associated Press

The two high-profile players acquired in late July have been major underachievers for the first half of the season.

The final blow for Haynesworth came on Brandon Jacobs’ 10-yard touchdown run with 9:10 left in the third quarter. The defensive tackle didn’t play again and was released Tuesday, having made three unassisted tackles and no sacks all season.

“I thought that both he and myself, speaking for the staff, we really tried to make it work,” Coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday. “He had a few physical limitations to overcome when he got here, but I thought he really tried to do what we asked him to do.

“We tried to work with him and in the end, it just obviously didn’t work out. The best thing we can do is just move on.”

Ochocinco, meanwhile, is moving ahead in his career with the Patriots. He’s becoming more familiar with Brady and a complex offense different than the one he played in with the Cincinnati Bengals the past 10 years.

His playing time increased Sunday when he had a season-high five passes thrown his way. But for the third straight game, he had no catches. Still, on at least two passes, he beat the cornerback, but Brady’s passes arrived late.

“He’s done some good things and there are things we need to do a better job of,” offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien said. “Getting him the ball and things like that.”

For most of the season, the usually chatty Ochocinco hasn’t talked on the record with reporters. Nor has he tweeted as prolifically as he did before joining the Patriots. That’s the way Belichick likes it.

After catching just two passes going into the fourth and final exhibition game, Ochocinco was asked if he was frustrated.

“Frustration’s a waste of time,” he said then. “It’s a waste of energy.”

By all indications, Ochocinco is a good teammate and hard worker in practice. Coaches and teammates have been supportive.

“He’s being a professional,” receiver Matthew Slater said Wednesday, “He’s getting better. He’s great to have on this team. We love having him.”

And they’ve been patient, hoping his good work in practice will translate to the field.

“He’s continued to do a great job in practice in his role that he’s really carved out for himself,” Brady said, “and he’s going to continue to be out there and hopefully make a bunch of plays.”

Ochocinco has just nine catches for 136 yards this season, the same numbers teammate Wes Welker had in Sunday’s game alone. In last year’s opener at New England, he tied his career high of 12 catches, covering 159 yards in a 38-24 Cincinnati loss.

In 161 career games, he didn’t catch a pass in just eight, including the past three. Against the Giants, he got free several times.

His next chance comes Sunday night at the New York Jets. He faced them in consecutive games in the regular-season finale in 2010 — the last time before this season he was held without a catch — and then in the wild-card game, losing both with the Bengals.

“You could see they’re trying to work him into the mix and, I guess, when he gets comfortable and the Patriots feel that he’s comfortable, then they’ll probably throw him the ball a little bit more,” said Phillips.

Brady has other more productive targets. On Sunday, 25 of his 49 passes went to Welker or Rob Gronkowski.

Asked if he’s hesitant to throw to players if he’s not sure they can make the play, Brady said, “The guys that you’re comfortable with, those are the guys that are usually on the field.”

Haynesworth never made it back to the field after Jacobs’ touchdown. Left guard David Diehl got his helmet under Haynesworth’s right arm, shoving him out of the way. That opened a wide gap, Jacobs scored, and the Giants led 10-0.

There were no public problems involving Haynesworth, unlike last season with the Washington Redskins when he feuded with new coach Mike Shanahan, skipped offseason workouts because he didn’t want to play nose tackle in the new 3-4 defensive alignment and needed 10 days to pass his conditioning test.

He lost his starting job and played in eight games before Shanahan suspended him for the final four because of conduct detrimental to the club.

On July 28, he was traded to the Patriots for a fifth-round draft pick in 2013. He played his first game with them in the exhibition finale.

“I feel like this is going to be the last place I want to play,” he said afterward.

“If it doesn’t work out here, then I’m not going to play anywhere else.”

On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers claimed him off waivers.

“Anytime you bring a player onto the team, you bring him onto your team with the expectation that it will be a positive and productive thing for your team,” Belichick said. “Of course, that doesn’t always happen.”

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